


Shooting Stars

by just_pretending



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actors, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Big Brother Shiro (Voltron), Dancers, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Keith and Lance have to play a couple, Lance (Voltron) is a Dork, M/M, Musicals, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Tags Are Hard, They are all already friends, mentions of depression, more theater related work, stage management, tech crew, they are all in one play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25859593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_pretending/pseuds/just_pretending
Summary: Keith and Lance have never exactly been friends. But now in their Junior year of college, both of them have to play a couple in a very important musical-production and somehow everything changes.A story about friends, lovers, theater, college and bonding moments.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, to whoever is reading this right now! This story has been on my mind for a few months and I finally had the time to write the first chapter. You have to know English is not my primary language, so please excuse mistakes I might be making (I am still learning and this is my very first fanfiction :) ). I am happy about any kind of constructive criticism! I hope you enjoy reading ^_^ .
> 
> ~ K.C.

  
_The Five-Lion-college of performing arts is one of the most prestigious colleges in the world and is well known for its excellent theater education. But not only classes in performing arts, like acting, dancing or singing (in terms of musical theater) are provided by this school, you can also study technical theater and you can learn how to be a director of a play, tailor, make-up artist, or stage manager. Under the slogan "Everything theater" young talents are being taught by experts in various subjects and get prepared for the world of showbusiness._  
  
**Sunday, August 30**

 **Keith's POV**  
  
It was the beginning of yet again another year of college and even though the first day is always a day full of changes it's somehow still the same. New people arrive and others are nowhere to be found since they graduated last year. You could call it a small circle of life if you may. Or you could just call it college. It is nothing compared to what life could hold for each of these people after they finished school. And to be honest, Keith is not here for the typical, wild college-life anyways. He is here to become a musical-theater-actor and not to get drunk or high every Friday night or go from party to party. Keith doesn't have time for that, even though Shiro would like him to have more fun and go live his life. But seriously what is the point of going to a party, which is full of people Keith either doesn't like or doesn't know? He is fine with having fewer friends who actually know him than having a ton of fake friends.  
Now that he thinks about it, where is everybody? They wanted to meet in front of the dorm buildings 10 minutes ago but nobody is here. Keith checks his phone, but there were no new messages. Just one notification in the group chat from Hunk, asking if he should bring some snacks. Keith didn't bother to answer earlier. Suddenly he is being pushed on the floor. What the hell? He looks up and sees a small person with a tower of boxes in their hand that block their face completely. 'No wonder they bumped into me if they can't see' Keith thinks as he watches the person, who seems to have lost their balance. Now they start stumbling around, probably because of the impact when they walked into Keith. As Keith tried to stand up again, the other one fell straight forward and landed directly on top of him. Now that that the both of them, plus the boxes, are lying on the floor, Keith could actually see the face of the person. Well if that wasn't a surprise.  
  
"Pidge? What the actual fuck!?"  
  
"Wait, Keith? Oh my god, it's you!"  
  
Pidge quickly jumps off Keith. "Sorry, but I just didn't want to go twice...". "Well next time you do that, try to fall onto somebody different, okay," Keith says with a straight face, but then gave her a small smile and Pidge walks over to hug him as tightly as if they haven't seen each other in years, but in reality, it has only been a few weeks. The two of them are friends since childhood. Pidge is now attending the Five-Lions-College as well. But she isn't an actress, singer or dancer, she is going to be studying technical theater. And she lives in the same dorm building as him, too. Keith and Pidge start to pick up her boxes. Keith is very thankful for his friendship with Pidge. She helped him through some tough times. You have to know they didn't meet under the best circumstances. Keith's father just died and his mother, a music director, was away for a year on an orchestra- tour around the world. At that time Keith lived with Shiro and his parents. Being still very depressed, mourning his dad, and missing his mother Keith was breaking off all contact with everyone, but still, Pidge managed to always find a way back into Keith's life. And now they are stuck with each other. She's like a little sister to Keith.  
  
"Are you excited? Tomorrow is your first day, right?" Keith asks her, but already knowing the answer anyway. "Duh, of course, I am. I mean think about all the great equipment I will be able to work with. It seems like heaven. Do you know this college has some of the best soundboards ever made in the entire US?" Pidge replies. She always has this sparkle in her eyes when she talks about technical stuff. Keith really doesn't have a clue about these things, but it's nice to see Pidge that happy. "And Matt told me that he will make me part of his tech-crew in the final play of the seniors!" Well, now that is strange. Normally the first meetings of the seniors about their play are held in the first week of classes. How could Matt possibly know, that he is going to be the Technical Director? Shiro didn't mention anything about a change of plans... "Wait did you just say his tech-crew? Did they already make plans for the play?". "Well I don't know much, did Shiro mention nothing?". Keith just opens his mouth to answer as Shiro and Matt come around the corner. Shortly behind them are Hunk, Shay, and Lance. They all were laughing about something.  
  
"Hello, guys! Sorry, we're a bit late, but we were stuck in traffic." Hunk said as he was giving Pidge and Keith a hug. Keith doesn't really like hugs or physical contact in general, but Hunks hugs never bothered him. Must be because of Hunk's positive spirit, they never fail to make Keith smile."Oh and Romelle, Allura and Adam said they were not going to make it because they had some kind of meeting with the principal. But they will join us later." added Shiro. Lance walks up to them and quickly ruffles through Pidges hair "Hey Pidgeon!" he said. Then he looks at Keith, glares at him, takes a step back.  
"Mullet.,"  
"Lance."  
Lance doesn't exactly like Keith. Keith does, in fact, not know the reason for that. Lance just always had some kind of problem with him, but never mentioned what it was. Well and Keith never asked. It's not like they hate each other, but they aren't friends either. It is kind of confusing and sometimes very awkward since they are in the same friend group, but as long as they don't interact privately, everything is fine. Because when they are alone they tend to argue. A lot. Luckily Shiro broke the tension.  
"O-kay…. How about we help Pidge to get her things up to her dorm?"  
"Great idea! Pidge did you already meet your roommate?" Shay asks Pidge who is busy handing out boxes to each of the friends. "Nope, but I know she is a freshman, too. So there's that" Pidge replies "She is also a major in stage management.". "Tell me if she's cute after you meet her, okay Pidgey?" Lance asks and Keith can't possibly tell if he is serious or joking. "Lance, I am not going to be your wingman. Also didn't Nyma just break up with you? I always had the impression you were still really hung up on her."."Ouch. And here I thought we were friends Pidge...I expect that from Keith, but you? I am not here to be reminded of my ex-girlfriend!" Lance whines. Well if Lance has to drag him into this... "Which one?"Keith teased. At that Lance shoots around and stares at Keith, who on the other hand just stood there with a smirk on his face. Before Lance could say anything Shiro already shouted from the door of the dorm building: "Guys, are you coming? These boxes won't carry themselves upstairs.".  
With that everyone made their way to Pidges dorm and helped to set up everything. Sometime after they were finished her roommate also arrived, but to Lance's disappointment and Keith's amusement, she didn't come alone. Her girlfriend helped her to unpack.  
  
Later that day the friends all went to a nearby diner, to celebrate Pidges arrival at Five-Lion's. Keith is sad to admit it, but he has to give Lance credit for that idea. Romelle, Allura and Adam also finally joined them. After they had sat down at a table and had finished ordering, Allura stood up. "Everyone, we seniors, that is Romelle, Shiro, Matthew, Adam, Shay and I, have an announcement to make. As you all know, this year we all will graduate from Five-Lion's. And as sad as it makes us knowing we only have one year left to spend with our friends, we are very excited about the next 12 months because we can work on our own play. This is probably no new information for you either, but this play-our play, will be something very special and we wanted you to be the first people to know. Normally only the seniors are the ones performing and directing that play. This includes the jobs of tailors, make-up-artists, stage managers and so on. But we decided this year will be different. There will be open auditions for some parts! By that, I mean that each of you, or well each person attending our school can be a part of this production. We also offer the positions of assistants for the "not-performing-jobs". We wanted to allow young talents to experience what their future could look like. All further information will be given out tomorrow for the whole school, but we just couldn't wait!" Allura has not yet been sitting down completely and everyone at the table is already talking and asking questions. Okay, now his conversation with Pidge makes sense. They must've quite a several meetings about this already to plan all of this. Keith isn't very surprised by this, the class of Shiro and the others has always been really organized and a bit overexcited. But the fact that Matt already knew he was going to be Tech-Director makes Keith wonder, if the other ones already had a fixed position too and what is exactly the reason for these changes? Seems like the others had the same question on their minds because shortly after he finishes that thought Pidge asks: "I mean I think this is fucking great, but why do you even do all this stuff? And do all seniors even get to be a part of this production, if everyone else can audition, too?". "Well, most seniors do. One of the reasons why we offer that many positions to the lower classes is, that not enough people wanted to work voluntarily on

a play. You know that is a hell lot of work and we are graduating this year. Most people want to focus on their studies, even if they would get extra credit. So we made the decision only those who really want to be part of this production should work on it. Almost all the seniors that wanted to join already have their part, we had a different kind of audition. But those parts, that couldn't be filled are open for audition." Romelle explained. "Does that mean all of you already know what part you are going to be?" Keith now asked and Adam was the first one to answer "Actually yes, all of us know our parts. Allura is the Choreographer, Shiro the Stage-Manager, Matt is the Tech-Director, I am the Wardrobe Chief. Romelle and Shay are both acting. If I am not mistaken they got their dream parts, right?" "Yes! I would love to tell you exactly which role, but then we would have to tell you the name of the play as well. And that would be unfair to the others." Shay says, with an apologizing smile on her face. It is probably directed to Hunk, who seemed to be very curious about that exact information. By that time all of their food arrives at the table the topic was already dropped. They had conversations about multiple things at this point, like about the new Dance-teacher and they gave Pidge a quick crash course about the campus. But somehow Lance did not get that message, because in the middle of the conversation Lance started to babble about the play again "But it is going to be a musical, right? Please tell me it's a musical! I really want to dance, sing and act at the same time. I am so excited we all will be in one production, that has never happened before and it's time we get the opportunity!" Keith wants to know where the guy gets his confidence. He doesn't even know what play it is and he is already talking about it as if he made the auditions. But that's Lance-thinks-he-is-the-best-thing-on-earth-Mcclain. Well, who is Keith to judge? "Yes, Lance it indeed is a musical. And we all hope every one of you can be part of this." Shiro reassured Lance. Lance seemed to be satisfied with that answer and continued eating his fries as the actual conversation was picked up again. Keith simply rolled his eye. Lance could really get on his last nerve sometimes by just being his usual annoying self, couldn't he?  
  
**Lance's POV**  
  
After they finished their meals the group met outside of the diner. Everybody said their goodbyes and they parted their ways. Shiro and Keith walked home together as usual since they are roommates. But this time Pidge joined them as well. Adam left together with Matt for whatever reason and so did Allura, Shay and Romelle. That only left him and Hunk. "Huuuunk, I am your best friend, right?" Lance asked again in a very high pitched tone. Hunk, who just made a move towards his car, turned around and looked at Lance. "Yes, you are Lance. Why?". "Do I always have to have a reason to ask this question?" Lance replied, walking to Hunk. He stopped right in front of him and made his puppy dog eyes. Hunk let out a loud sigh "Let me guess you want me to give you a ride home?". There was a long pause before Lance threw himself dramatically on his knees "Huuuuunk, please! I don't want to take the bus!! Oh please, my bestest of best friends, I do whatever you want!" he begged. Hunk looked around and realized that people were staring. This is not very surprising given the fact that they were in the middle of a parking lot of a well-known diner. "Okay Lance please stand up again, people are looking" Hunk whispered uncomfortably. "I don't care! I'd do all it takes to get you to drive me, even if people stare at me!" Lance continued. "Okay buddy, You'd do everything, right? Well, how about you stand up. And stop whining… Then I will drive you.". At that, Lance stood up without saying a word and only grinned at Hunk, who just shook his head. They went to the car and got in. "You know, as much as I love you, Lance, you can be such a drama queen." Hunk mumbled and started to drive. Lance didn't reply but looked as if he was very proud of himself. He turned on the radio and started to stare out of the window. Lance loves the way to his families house, It was a bit far outside of the city, which is sometimes very annoying because he always has to take the bus, ask somebody to drive him, or has to wait until one of the cars of his parents is free (which is not very often) when he wants to go downtown. But he wouldn't give it up for anything.  
Lance remembers when his family moved here from Cuba. At first, he didn't really like the idea of leaving all his friends and family behind, but the moment they drove down this road the first time, he was in love. If he remembers correctly it was a day just like this, but 10 years ago. The sun was setting slowly and you could see how with each minute the color of the sky shifted more from blue to a reddish tone. The water of the ocean reflected these colors in a wonderful, almost magical way. The last rays of sunshine made it sparkle and if you looked very closely you could even see some bigger fish swimming around at the surface. As they were driving past a small public beach, close to his future home, Lance could watch a couple who was climbing on top of some rocks. One of them seemed a bit more hesitant, so the other one held a hand out to them. As they reached the top they stood there for a while and admired the view, but they never let go of each other's hands. They sat down, arms wrapped around each other. They tilted their heads up the sky, were the first stars started to show up. Suddenly one of them was jumping up and pointed at the sky. But at that moment the car moved around a corner and younger Lance couldn't see what exactly they wanted to show their partner. It was so romantic! Even if it was ridicules he always liked to believe that this is what true love looked like-  
Lance was snapped out of his memories when the car stopped abruptly. "And here we are," Hunk announced as he parked his car on the sidewalk next to Lances' house. When they were standing still again, Lance loosened his seat belt and opened the door to step outside. "Thank you for the ride Hunk." Lance started to walk towards the building as Hunk shouted: "No Problem. Tell your parents I said 'hi'! Oh yeah, and see you tomorrow." "Sure!"Lance replied, but Hunk had already driven off. 'Tomorrow' Lance thought to himself. That somehow filled him with so much excitement. Tomorrow he would finally be able to do what he loved with the people that he loved again. Is there something better in the world? Lance didn't think so. He hadn't been able to do this the whole summer and he certainly missed a lot. Dancing in his room, alone and singing under the shower was definitely not the same. Tomorrow is going to be a blast! And then there is the official announcement of the new play of the seniors, too. Double blast!  
  
  
  
**Monday, September 1st**  
  
And just like that Lance found himself in the Great-Hall, waiting for the announcement to start. Excitement would be an understatement of what he was feeling right now. Up until this moment, it has never been possible for all years to be together in one theater production at the Five-Lions. They were always rather strict about keeping students with different experiences separated, for multiple reasons Lance never fully understood. It's stupid anyway, but nothing that could be changed. Well up until now at least. Suddenly all the chatter around him stopped as Lotor, stepped up on the stage.  
  
"Hello, my fellow students! My name is Lotor and as you all should know I am here to announce about this year's play of the senior class. Due to some unfortunate chain of events, we participants were a bit "understaffed". A lot of our classmates did not want to take part in this production, because of the extra work it would mean and others only wanted small parts. So we started to give the wanted positions to those who wanted them, but in almost every department we still need some extra help. And we would be honored to have some of you younger students join us. We will be offering parts for musical theater actors and dancers. Especially for ensemble-parts, but also the two main parts will be open for audition. In stage management, the mask, tech-crew, and also as my assistants in the direction you can apply as well.  
The name of the play is „The Letter".  
It's a rather unpopular piece, but I promise you that doesn't make it bad. Quite the opposite if I say so myself. It is about a boy named Kayden and how he finds himself in a rather unknown environment after a night in a bar. He is in love with a complete stranger – George. Both of them start to get to know each other and even though they are so different and they come from completely different worlds they get together. But nothing stays perfect. They and their relationship are challenged on multiple occasions. Especially because Kayden is actually from a mystical place, called the "underworld", whereas George is just a normal human beeing, trying to overcome his difficult past. Suddenly everything changes though when Kayden writes _the_ fateful letter.  
Right at this moment, the audition sheets are hung up at the blackboard. For the non-performers, you will find there the contact information for your applications. I wish you all the best of luck if you want to take part!"  
  
Lance almost jumped out of his seat, as he heard the name of the play. His sister Rachel and he went to a performance a couple years ago and he knew right after the opening number that it was a masterpiece! And now he could be a part of it?! Oh and not just any part he could actually play a lead role? This had to be a dream. Just imagine Lance McClain as _George Michigan._  
  
He was the first one to run out of the room, down to the blackboard to put his name down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the first chapter! Thanks for reading. In the next chapter, you'll see the characters after their first week of the new school year. I don't know when I will be able to upload again... but I'll try to finish the 2nd Chapter as soon as possible.
> 
> NOTE: The play they are playing does not exist! It's a random story I made up for this fanfiction.
> 
> Please, feel free to leave a comment!
> 
> ~K.C.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again! Welcome to the second chapter of my fanfiction. I don't really know if I like this chapter or if I don't. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> ~K.C.

**Monday, September 8**  


** Keith’s POV **

  
"Shiro I don't care how bad you want me to audition for the lead. It's not going to happen! Whatever you do won't change that, get that in your fucking head!" Keith screamed angrily as he slammed the door. 'Who does he think he is to always tell me what to do?' Keith's thoughts were racing. He ran down the stairs and made his way outside to find Lotor. He hates fighting with Shiro. That's why tries to avoid it under all costs, but this time Keith could not stay calm. Since the official announcement of the production of the seniors Shiro didn't leave Keith alone. He wants him to audition for one of the main parts, because of his "potential" and "talent". Well and Keith doesn't believe he is good enough for something this big, and also doesn't have the nerves to be that involved in such a huge production next to his normal studies. But whenever Keith mentions this, Shiro starts going on and on about everything he achieved and how good he was in the college's last production. It's been a whole week of telling Shiro over and over that he is not going to change his opinion, and let's just say it's tiring. But today was the final straw. He took it too far.  


  
It started right in the morning when Keith was just making breakfast for both Shiro and himself. Shiro came out of his bedroom and walked over to the small kitchenette to set the table as he began talking "So Keith, I wanted to remind you, that you’ll only have one week last day to sign up for auditions." He placed down two sets of plates and glasses. Keith watched him over his shoulder, with a very annoyed look on his face. Trying, but in the end not succeeding to find the right response to that, he simply said nothing and focused on the scrambled egg he was making. "I know you said you don't want to, but I think- I really think you should reconsider auditioning for another role, a bigger one. I-". "No Shiro, I reconsidered for a whole week, and I still don't want to." Keith quickly interrupted. 'Here we go again, when will Shiro finally get that I will not change my mind?' Keith thought. He turned off the stove and moved over to their dining table to put the eggs on each plate. For a moment Keith thought the conversation was over, but then Shiro started talking again "I figured you would say that, but I don't want you to waste all of that hard work that you did over the years. I know you are more comfortable with being an ensemble-member. But theater is about pushing yourself, and testing out what you can or cannot do.". "Shiro I already told you multiple times, no matter what you think, I am not good enough, yet. Maybe I have potential, but what is that worth, when you don't know how to unleash it? Nothing." Keith declared and sat down to eat. Shiro hesitated to do the same. "If you don't want to believe me then at least believe your professor. I talked to Coran yesterday, and he agreed with me. Basically, every person you'd ask would say the same. You are one of the most talented people I have ever seen or heard. Noone would deserve a lead as much as you. Trust me with this. Exactly for people like you, we decided to not fill the lead roles with seniors. You are born to play Kayden". Keith was not trying to hide his annoyance anymore. 'Why can't the guy just let me live his life for once and except my choices?' Don't get him wrong, he is thankful that Shiro supports him and believes in him, but sometimes it is too much. "Shiro I am not going to say it again, you already know my point of view and we had this discussion way too often these last days. Just leave me and my decisions alone, okay?" Keith remarked listlessly, stood up grabbed his bag, and left the apartment. Shiro said something to him during the procedure, but Keith wasn't listening anymore. 'Hopefully, the argument is over with that' he thought as exited the dorm building.  
  
He took his earphones out of his bag and played his playlist. To be honest, music was the only thing that never failed to calm Keith down. He could shut out everything around him and just focus on what was ahead of him. Right now he had to focus on getting to his first class of the day. He walked through the park area of the campus. There were a lot of students on their way to different buildings. But one group stood out from the rest, right in front of the entrance of the main complex. "Group" is not the right term for it, "crowd" would fit better, because there were so many people. All of them were looking in the direction of two girls. As he walked closer to them Keith could actually spot some familiar faces. Romelle and Allura were the ones talking to the crowd of freshman or at least Keith figured it were all freshmen since they all looked very young. That would also explain why Pidge was standing right in the front row, very focused on the event. She was rocking back and forth and was playing with the shoulder strap of her bag. Probably because of excitement, which Keith could understand really well. If he remembers quite correctly on his first day in college one kid went unconscious because the were so nervous (Authors note: It was Hunk, but don't tell anybody.). Even though the first day for her was technically last Monday, today was the one that really counts. The whole last week was full of preparation courses and small trips, but no actual classes. So today was the first time these kids could experience the reality of college.  
As Keith got closer to the crowd he started wondering what was the reason for this specific meeting was. All introductions should have been held already. Keith turned off his music to hear what they were talking about.  
"Hello, students! My name is Allura and I am the President of the student government here at Five Lions. I am so sorry to keep you all away from your very first classes here, but this meeting is of big importance." announced Allura.  
Romelle was fast to introduce herself as well: "Also a quick 'hello" from me. The name's Romelle and I am so happy to see the next generation of amazing performers and stage workers right in front of me. Allura and I brought you here today to inform you about the different clubs that this institution has to offer!"  
Now that explains the meeting."First of all, we are also very sorry that we are doing this on such short notice. We originally wanted to do this last week, but another event was a "bigger priority" according to Professor Zarkon...We also wanted to have the Grand Hall for this, but it sadly was not available. So we asked ourselves 'Where could we go so that everybody could attend easily?'And outside was the best option we found, well if you don't count-", "Romi I think they just want to know about the activities and not the organizational background" Allura interrupted her sweetly and smiled. Romelle started to blush madly, probably of embarrassment. Everybody knows that Romelle loves to talk, about everything a lot. Kind of like Lance, but less annoying. Romelle nodded and continued her speech: "Right, sorry about that. I am probably as nervous as you, this is my last year here and so I wanna give ALL my knowledge to you… at best. But moving on. You are familiar with all the parts of our school, right" The freshman all hummed or nodded in agreement."Good. Well, then some activities should be obvious. Starting with the sports clubs….". Keith, who for some reason found himself standing next to the group and listening to the speech, realized that he was running late… very late. He still had to walk about 10 Minutes to the building and he had only 3 minutes left. Fuck that. Now he would have to run. Great, that is exactly what he needed right now, especially after his fight with Shiro.  
  
He grabbed on tighter on his bag and hurried down the pathway, but right before he arrived at the building his lecture was in, he carshed right into a person, who's apparently also running late. This really seems to be happening a lot to him lately. Except this time it was definitely his fault, but he doesn't have the time to actually acknowledge the other one. Keith cursed under his breath still not looking at them. He just wanted to make his way through the door and get to class as fast as possible, but the other guy pushed himself in front of him. 'How _great_ , it's Lance of all people' "Hey Keith, don't just run into a guy and don't even apologize!" Lance remarked obviously displeased. Keith _really_ did not have time or energy for _this_. "Fuck off, Lance. I really can’t take your bullshit right now! Leave me alone." Keith huffed and pushed straight through him to get inside. "Wow, rude much…” Lance stared at him walking away, ”Just go cut your Mullet or something. Jeez!".  
  
**Lance's POV**  
  
'What the actual fuck was that?' Lance thought as he walked down the hallway right after Keith. Yes sure, both of them were running late (which in Lance's case was nothing unusual), but that is no reason to be so angry. Especially since he was the one to bump into Lance. He opened the door to the classroom and made his way to the back, to sit in his usual seat. The professor just gave him a disappointed look but said nothing. Lance pulled out his laptop to take notes but gave up after only 10 Minutes. He was still very bothered about his earlier interaction with Keith. Normally he is just his broody, grumpy self, but today he seemed so pissed off and Lance couldn't quite figure out if this was because of him or about something unrelated. Hopefully the latter… It's not like he would care if Keith was mad at him, because he really wouldn't, but it's annoying since they are in the same friend group. And arguing between the two of them always makes the others uncomfortable. Otherwise, he wouldn't give a damn… then again he has been wasting his time worrying about the whole thing, so he can't say it left him completely untouched. It's complicated. Everything about Keith Kogane is, to be honest. Lance doesn't want his relationship with Keith to be that negative, but something puts him off when talking to him, or thinking about him. And it has always been so confusing to Lance.  
He is finally snapped out of his thoughts, by his phone's notification tone.  
  
**The Garrison Trio** **  
**_**(hunkymonkey, lancelot, gremlin)**_ **  
**  
hunkymonkey: Hey you guys! I don't have class today until the afternoon. Want me to make lunch?  
  
gremlin: yes, please!!  
  
lancelot: omg yassss! u r the best hunk!!! ily <3  
  
hunkymonkey: Love you, too :)  
  
gremlin: get a room!  
  
lancelot: nEVER!!  
  
gremlin: no but srsly I love going to one college with you for exactly one reason  
  
gremlin: food.  
  
lancelot: food, rly? I thought it was bc of our long freindship…  
  
gremlin: I have priorities.  
  
lancelot: -_-  
  
hunkymonkey: I'm glad you like it here even if it's just for my food ;)  
  
gremlin: <3  
  
lancelot: <3  
  
hunkymonkey: <3  
  
hunkeymonkey: see u later!  
  
  
Lance now really couldn't wait for the lecture to be over. They always eat lunch together, but normally nobody has time to prepare their own food at home. On top of that the cafeteria food tastes like mud next to Hunks meals. So saying that Lance looked forward to the end of class, would be an understatement. And what is even better is that Pidge is there with them all the time, as well this year. 

They all have been friends since Lance and Hunk were 14 because they all were in a theater camp together, the Garrison, one summer. And from then on they met there each summer and never lost contact. When Hunk and Lance then went to the same college as her brother, his friends, and also her best friend Keith they all became one big group of friends. But lunch is for some odd reason still only between the three of them. But to be honest, Lance likes it this way… more of Hunk's food for himself.  
  
So Lance drags himself through another hour of class and can't help, but to look at Keith. He is always so focused on his work, it's almost scary. Maybe that's why he is crazy talented? Even though he doesn't seem like it, Keith is not as closed off on stage as he is in real life. Every time he's seen Keith perform he was blown away, by how accurate he can display a character. It's so moving and feels like he’s actually going through whatever he is portraying. He'll probably get one of the main parts in this year's play, too. Wait a second…. WHAT IF KEITH GETS TO PLAY GEORGE?! Oh, man… That would be so unfair! He always gets what he wants. And Lance wouldn't even be able to complain about it, since Keith is not only insanely talented but also he isn't that bad of a person and still a friend of his friends. He would be perfect for the role. Although Keith is more of a Kayden-Type in Lance's opinion. But he isn't the director, so it doesn't matter what Lance thinks anyway.  
  
"That's all for today. Please remember to hand in your assignment this evening." the Professor announced. Lance, who actually handed in his work yesterday, was already almost out of the door. He literally could not wait a minute longer to finally have lunch. He walked across the campus, through some shortcuts, he discovered over the years, to the cafeteria. He saw Pidge and Hunk at their usual table outside. It is the perfect table for the trio. The one half was under a tree and so it was always shady – perfect for Pidge who could not stand a ray of sunshine, or she'd get burned. Lance on the other hand preferred the sunny side because he is always cold. Lastly, Hunk enjoys having both options to choose from. Today, was an especially sunny day so both Hunk and Pidge sat down on the dark side and looked at something on Pidge's Laptop. Lance walked up to them and placed his bag down on the opposite bench. "Hey, Lance," Pidge said still distracted by whatever she was looking at on her screen. Hunk then realized as well that Lance was there and stood up to hug him. "Hey, buddy! How's your day been going?" He asked and simultaneously started to unpack the food he brought. "It's been fine I guess. I had breakfast at Starbucks, which I didn't have actually time for. Then I went to class, obviously late and bored myself to death there" Lance said jokingly, but then continued as he remembered his interaction with Keith "I also bumped into Keith, well he bumped into me. And he didn't even apologize. Just told me to 'fuck off' and then ran inside.". After he mentioned Keith Pidge closed her PC "He was late, too? Doesn't sound like him…" she said. Hunk nodded "Hopefully he is okay. Oh, and you two can eat by the way." Pidge immediately reached out to grab one of the wraps Hunk prepared. "Seriously?! You guys are just worried about him being late? Did you not realize how rude he was to me?" Lance noted frustrated. "Buddy, you and Keith never get along. If I'd get a penny every time one of you tells the other to 'fuck off' I'd be rich by now. Sorry, but that's nothing new…" Hunk gave him an apologetic look. "Okay yes we fight sometimes, but normally we just ignore each other. This morning he was unnecessarily mean, just grumpier than usual.". "Lance that's even more of a reason to worry about him. You know how closed off Keith gets if he is bothered by something or hurt." That is true. Keith is always super closed off if something even slightly bad happens. And Lance really tries to understand it. He knows about his past, but just because someone has a tragic backstory they should not separate themselves from their friends at every situation possible. Even Pidge, his best friend, has been pushed away on multiple occasions. It's impressive she'd made it back in his life every time. "Ugh, you know what? Enough about him… let's enjoy Hunk's amazing cooking skills without worrying about the Mullet.".  
"So you call me that behind your back, as well? Figured it was some face to face shit or something..." Keith suddenly stood right behind Lance with a tray of cafeteria-food, with that annoying Keith-Smirk. Lance who really wasn't expecting that almost spit out the salat he just ate. "Jesus Christ! Give a guy a warning next time before you randomly show up behind him." Lance shrieked. Pidge on the other hand had the laughing fit of the century and Hunk also could not hold back his laughter. After a minute or two of uncontrolled laughter and Lance complaining, Pidge could finally form words again: "But seriously why are you here Keith?" she asked, with a smile still on her face. "Oh, yes, I wanted to ask if I could sit here with you today. But if I'm interrupting-" "-You are!", "Lance! No, you can definitely sit with us." Hunk said and Pidge reassured him with a nod. Lance just groaned, but then scooped over on his bench so Keith could sit down with them, too. Hunk offered him some of his culinary creations, which Keith gladly accepted. 'God damn it' Lance thought to himself 'this is the only time I have alone with the two of them. And now stupid Keith had to go and destroy his perfect, Mullet-free, lunchtime.’ And the worst part about it all was that they were only talking about some game they all played, which Lance had no clue about. Great, fucking great. Lance really wanted to change the subject… so he asked the first thing that came to his mind: " So Keith, why are you sitting with us… I mean normally you sit with Shiro?".  
That seemed to have struck a nerve because as a result, Keith's expression shifted from almost smiling to looking completely emotionless. Pidge just shot Lance a look, like 'Dude what the fuck? Do you want to make him uncomfortable on purpose?' And Lance didn't actually want to do that. He just didn't think, before he talked. "I-" Keith took a deep breath before he continued to talk again, "Let's just say Shiro and I had an argument today, because of the auditions.". "The auditions? Seriously?", "Yes, _Lance_ , seriously, "Keith replied in a bitter tone. "Wait, who are you auditioning for?", "Ensemble". There was a long pause. "What?!" They all shouted in unison. That did not make any sense. Keith is too talented for the ensemble. He sure as hell would score every role he desired, so why choose the smallest possible option? Lance hates to admit it, but Keith is not only a better actor than him but also has an amazing voice. "Why…. Just why??" Lance asked confused and jumped up from his seat. "You can do so much better than that, Keith" Hunk added. Pidge stood up from her seat and walked over to her best friend. She put her hand on his shoulder and said in a very sweet voice "Keith you are selling yourself short again. Is that really the role you want to be playing?". Keith stared at all of them, clearly not happy with their responses. "I will not discuss this with you, too. I am tired of having the argument with Shiro." "But-" all three of them tried to argue. "If you continue I will leave."  
They shared looks and then sat back down again. Hunk started up their conversation from earlier, which left Lance alone to think. Shouldn't he be happy that Keith didn't audition for the role he wanted? Shouldn't he have made some snarky comment about how with his hair he wouldn't have got a better part anyways? Why didn't he do any of that? It literally does not make any sense. And why does he care about what Keith does in the first place? "Lance?" Pidge waved her hand in front of his head "did you just listen to anything that was said?". Hold up, what? "What do you mean?". Keith answered, "Lotor just made an announcement over the speakers, that the auditions are moved forward.". Was he hearing correctly right now? "When will they be?" Lance asked shocked. "They are happening this Thursday. Apparently, there is some different event next Wednesday and this was the only other available day." he went on. "How can you be so calm about this Keith?! I still have so much to prepare before then. Oh god, we also have to hand in a paper later this week..." Lance got more hysterical with each passing second. Keith on the opposite just stared at him blankly "Well I am mostly done with all of that.", " You are wHAT? How do you even- How can someone- I am _so_ fucked!" Lance stutters around until Hunk finally manages to calm him down again. These next days will definitely be full of work.

“Oh, Lotor also mentioned, that there is only one hour left to put your name down for either audition or to send in your applications, so that this evening they can release the final plan for the audition-day, so everybody knows when they have to where.” Hunk informed Lance after a few minutes. “You remembered to actually sign the notice, didn’t you?”Pidge then asked teasingly. “ Of course! I was the very first one to do so.” Lance defended himself. “Who are you auditioning for?” Keith asked and Lance proudly told him “George!”. “That’s not surprising. Well, good luck.”, “Thank you, but I won’t need any luck” Lance shot back maybe a bit too fierce. “You sure about that McClain? If I were you, I’d take any luck I can get. Just in case.” Keith replied. Before Lance could say something, Keith’s phone began to ring, so excused himself and left the table.

** Shiro’s POV **

“Keith, I know you’re mad at me. But you only have one hour left… please reconsider.”

“Shiro I already told you I am done reconsidering. I made my decision. Why do you care so much about it? Just leave me be, the play can be as good without me being a bigger role…”

“I don’t care about the play. I care about you.”

“Aren’t you the stage manager. You should care about the play.”

Shiro sighed at that. Why must this boy be so stubborn? He has so much potential, so much talent. This play can be a huge opportunity for him, but he just doesn’t _want_ _to_ see it. Talent scouts from all around the world will be watching….

“You know what I mean. I want what’s best for you. But if you can’t see it for yourself I can't help you.” Shiro said firm. He heard Keith set on to say something else, but Shiro quickly hung up. He loved Keith, he’s his brother, but sometimes he just makes Shiro wish he wouldn’t love him, so he wouldn’t care that much. He really would do anything to make him happy, and Shiro knows for a fact that being an ensemble-member won't make him happy. Nothing against the ensemble. These guys always carry the play, but Keith is made for something bigger. All his teachers say so, even Professor Zarkon. 

So Shiro did what he felt he needed to do. He walked to the blackboard of the school took a pen out of his bag and crossed Keith’s name out on the one list and put it down somewhere else.

Later that day, right after dinner, the audition-plan was released. It didn’t take long until Keith found Shiro. He was bursting with anger, screaming at him, about how he could do such a thing, without Keith knowing about it. About how unfair it was. He slammed the door shut on his way out to find Lotor. 

Still, Shiro was convinced he did the right thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for Chapter 2! I tried out some new things, like the texting-part or the time skip, I hope you liked it.  
> Next Chapter Keith will talk to Lotor about the whole thing and we will see a bit more of Shiro, too.
> 
> I can't really tell you when I will upload, since I have yet to start writing these next few parts. I will try to not take so long. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Please, feel free to leave a comment! 
> 
> ~K.C.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's me again... I'm sorry it took me so long to upload again. I had a lot of stress, because of school in the last few months, so I barely got the chance to write. Anyways, I kind of like this chapter, even though it's not as long as I would have liked it to be. I hope you enjoy reading! ^_^ 
> 
> ~K.C.

**Monday, September 8**

**Keith’s POV**

Keith stood right in front of Lotor’s dorm-room. He knew that this conversation could have probably waited until tomorrow and that disturbing Lotor, right before he’ll ask for a favor was not the best idea. I mean Keith didn’t even know what he was doing right now. Yet his hand started to move on his own and knocked way before his mind could process it. Well, now there was no going back…

The door was opened just enough so that Lotor could stand in the gab, but Keith could not see the apartment behind it. He looked Keith up and down, before speaking up, “What do you want Kogane?”. For some reason, Keith forgot how intimidating Lotor could be. He towered over Keith, looking strangely disgusted and bored at the same time. “I wanted to ask you for help with the auditions.” Keith bursted out. ‘That totally came out wrong’ he realized right after he said it. “You want a mentor or something? Kogane, I have better things to do. I thought you wouldn’t be so stupid to ask the director of the play for advice or do you want me to see all your flaws? That’ll only worsen your chances of getting casted.”. Lotor threw his hair over his shoulder, took a step back, and was moving to close the door. Keith quickly put his foot between the door and the wall. Lotor turned back to glance angrily at him. “Excuse me?”. ‘Oh dear god, this is going way worse than I expected.’Keith thought as he panicked ever so slightly. ”I’ m sorry. I do not want you to teach me, trust me I would never!” Keith stumbled around, which caused Lotor’s glare to darken even more. “You don’t think I’m qualified enough?! Kogane, that’s it. Leave.” Lotor spit out and tried to shut the door again. “No, no, no this is not what I meant. Please let me start over again! There is a problem with the audition-plan”.

“Really?”

“Yes! Shiro manipulated the sign-up-sheets!” Keith explained. Finally, he said, what he wanted to say. “Shirogane did fucking WHAT?! Oh, I’m going to fucking kill him!” Lotor now roared out, throwing open the door, so it hit the opposite wall in the process. Okay, maybe Lotor took that the wrong way, too… “Wait, no he didn’t manipulate everything. Not in the way you think right now!” Keith tried to say as soothing as possible. Lotor eyes started to twitch as he took a deep breath “Kogane, for goodness sake: Talk in a way I’ll goddamn understand you! Do you think this is funny?”. “No, of course, I don’t!”, “Good, so tell me what the fuck happened with the sign-up-sheets.”. Lotor looked so done with everything. “Alright. Shiro crossed out my name, and put it down somewhere else. I wanted to audition for the ensemble, but now I’m auditioning for Kayden.” Keith tried to explain further and clear as possible. He got Lotor riled up enough for one day. And luckily he understood. “So, Shirogane changed only your name? “He asked, way calmer than before. “Yes,” Keith confirmed. After a long pause Lotor spoke up again: “Well, what do you want me to do now?” Seriously wasn’t that clear from what he told him? “Could you change the audition-plan, so I can audition for the role I actually signed up for?”.

“That would be ridicules,” Lotor said. Keith looked at him confused. “I will not change the whole plan for one person. Do you know how much work that would mean for us and how much it would confuse everybody else when there is a new notice released? There have already been enough complications with these auditions. It would also cause people to question our, nay, my authority if I’ll just update the plan for everyone that comes whining to me.”. But it wasn’t Keith’s fault that he’s now in this situation! Why must he be the one being punished? Why does he never get what he wants? “It’s just one name, Lotor! And nobody would care if there were some changes again. Just explain to them what happened or something.”. “Do you hear yourself right now Kogane? You have no fucking idea how it is to have a father, that is always observing your every move and judges whatever you do. Just imagine how he would react if he heard that I made a mistake again-” Lotor shouted out, getting louder with each word. “But you didn’t make the mistake!” Keith interrupted him, but that argument was shut down quickly “So you really think he would care?! It’s my play, so I’m at fault.” Lotor said sourly. Keith just stood there baffled. What kind of father is like that… He didn’t envy him at all, and his father was dead. “So what do expect _me_ to do now?” Keith asked. Lotor rolled his eyes “You have two choices: Either you’ll audition for Kayden, or you just don’t show up. Your choice. I don’t really care.” Lotor was about to go back inside, but stopped for just a second to tell Keith one last thing: “But you know, that when you’re too bad to be Kayden, but still good enough to have you in the play we might decide to make you part of the ensemble anyways.”

Then the door was shut in Keith’s face before he could say anything in return. He was left alone in the hallway. Well, that sure was a real roller coaster of a conversation. But it was surprisingly very successful for him. Lotor gave him the perfect idea- He’ll just be not as talented as he maybe could be and then he will be put into the ensemble. And nobody has to know about it, especially not Shiro. That could actually work.

**Tuesday, September 9**

Keith stayed up all of last night to figure out the details of his plan. In the end, he decided to sing a very advanced and challenging song, which sounds fairly easy. Once it comes to performing he just won’t put any effort into it. They’ll see that he has a well-trained voice, but is not qualified for a main part. On top of that, he picked out one of the most overused monologues one could find and as far as he’s concerned dancing has never been one of his strongest skills anyway. Like this, they either put him in ensemble or just don’t cast him at all. Keith would be alright with both.

Nevertheless, staying up all night has its price… Keith is tired. And not just ‘I slept only 3 hours’-tired, no, it’s more of an ‘I haven’t slept at all”-tired. It’s safe to say that Keith was more of a zombie than an actual human being at this point. He went to his classes as usual but didn’t pay attention. He even fell asleep in his afternoon class. At one point he remembers walking into a door of some kind.

‘This is the reason, why I never pull all-nighters’ Keith thought to himself as he packed his bag from his dance-course. Never in his life has he ever been so bad at dancing. He messed up almost every step if he even moved at all. Especially embarrassing was when he had to catch this one girl, but instead of holding her in his arms, both of them ended up face down on the dance floor. And after everybody just blankly stared at the pair, they started laughing at them hysterically. The girl was definitely not as amused as their classmates. She stood up, turned to Keith, and started to scream at him. He, on the other hand, being still very tired and now also being in pain from falling, could not make out a single word she was saying. But her face said everything- she wore a furious expression. Her nose was scrunched up, her eyebrows were pushed together and her skin looked more red than usual. But that could also be because she just landed head-first on the floor. All in all, dance-practice was a _blast_. Now Keith didn’t want anything more than to go home and take a nap. But he knew if he went home now, he would see Shiro. And Keith wasn’t really in the state to have that conversation yet.

So he decided to just wander around the campus a bit. But his feet didn’t take him very far. As he walked down the hall at the dance-studio he saw an empty practice-room. And it wasn’t just any practice room. It’s the best one in the whole building. It is one of the few rooms that still have an undamaged flooring, a huge window-wall, and high-tech-speakers. But the best thing, in Keith’s opinion, is that, due to an unfortunate incident a few years ago, the old piano that stood there, was destroyed. So the school got a new one… a very expensive and robust piece of instrument. It is way better than any of the pianos, you might find in the practice-rooms all around campus (not only the dance-studio). So this room is understandably rarely left unused. Not only dancers but also music-students, singers, and many more come here.

But now it’s empty and there is nobody in sight that seems to use it. Keith may be tired, but he cannot let an opportunity like this slide. So he went into the room, quickly closed the door behind him, and walked over to the piano. Technically he could use this time to practice for auditions…he really hasn’t prepared anything yet. But then again, maybe not practicing will help with his plan? That sounds about right, Keith decides and starts to play one of his favorite songs instead of his audition-song.

He started to slowly press down the first keys of the song. The familiar melody making him feel very emotional. He used to listen to this song back in high school, when he still had his “emo-phase” (not that he doesn’t still have it, because he kind of does). This song just means a lot to him, and even though it sounds very hopeless and sad, especially through the very deep lyrics, it for some reason makes him feel very content like he’s at peace with himself. But then again, Keith always feels this way, while singing or playing. That is as long as he is alone.

“I knew it was your voice when I walked past the door” Shiro, who was suddenly standing in the middle of the dance floor, commented. ‘Damn his habit of closing his eyes, while focusing on his music’ Keith thought. He stood up from his seat and closed the piano. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had the room right now.” He muttered and grabbed his bag to leave. “I don’t have it,” Shiro stated, and motioned with his head that Keith could sit back down. He, on the other hand, just stopped right in his track but made no move to comply. “Then what are you doing here?” Keith asked, in a very annoyed tone. Even though he now had a plan for the auditions, he was still pissed at Shiro. Not that he wanted to continue fighting with him either... “I came to apologize,” Shiro said calmly. Keith stared quietly back at him again, so he could continue his apology. “I know my actions were unfair, and childish. Trust me I always had good intentions! It’s just that you are my little brother, and I want what’s best for you. Or at least what I think, is best for you. And I still think I am right about you being made for bigger things, but I am very sorry, Keith. I should have never acted the way I did.” Shiro told Keith. The look on his face confirmed that he really meant everything he was saying. He was sorry, Keith could see that clearly. And in the end, everything worked out fine for him anyway.  
  


Shiro looked at him hopefully. It took Keith a bit to reply. “It’s fine, Shiro. It definitely was not okay of you to just do stuff like that, without my consent, but what’s done is done.” at that Shiro gave out a relieved sigh and went over to hug Keith, who after a few seconds hugged back. “So did you talk to Lotor? What did he say?”, “I did. He said there is nothing he could do that wouldn’t cause even more trouble. I had the choice between dropping out completely or auditioning for Kayden. I chose the latter.” Keith explained as he walked back over to the piano. When he turned to look at Shiro, he saw that the guy had the most ridiculous smile on his face “That’s amazing! I am so proud of you, Keith”, “Yeah, yeah…thanks, dad.” Keith replied ironically, “Wanna sing something with me?”. “First of all, you got to stop calling me dad. It makes me feel so old, and I am literally only two years older than you. But yes, I’d like to sing with you”.

Shiro and Keith used to sing a lot together when they were younger. They were together in a theater club. When they got older Shiro shifted his interest to the work backstage, especially stage management, and Keith just stuck with performing. But they continued to sometimes sing together in their free time. And they always start with the exact same song: “You Got a Friend in Me” from Toy-Story. Both of them aren’t really sure why it’s this song, since it’s not exactly in the pitch either of them has, but that really never mattered. It just fit their dynamic in a very strange way and at the same time, it didn’t. At this point, it was probably just tradition- a good tradition nonetheless.

Keith started to press down the first couple keys on the piano and his hand immediately picked up on the familiar motion. His fingers moved by themselves, completely by memory, so he could concentrate more on the lyrics of the song. Shiro smiled at him briefly before he started to sing the first couple of lines.

_You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me  
When the road looks rough ahead  
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed_

_You just remember what your old pal said  
Boy, you've got a friend in me  
Yeah, you've got a friend in me_

He laughed shortly as he finished. Keith just looked at him with an unreadable, but certainly positive expression, and continued with the following passages. Shiro started to move slightly along to the rhythm, with a bright smile on his face, trying to suppress a giggle. So Keith tried to switch things up and mimicked the accent of Randy Newman (which he failed at big times).

_You've got a friend in me, you've got a friend in me  
If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too  
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you_

_We stick together and can see it through  
'Cause you've got a friend in me  
You've got a friend in me_

As Keith sang the last words Shiro was holding his stomach, because of laughter. “You are really not good at this!” he mumbled as he whipped away a small tear. Keith just gave him a challenging look, as if to say “Can you do it better?” and moved along with an even more obnoxious voice. Shiro picked up on the competition quickly and so they both sung along together with equally bad accents, trying to one-up each other, and simultaneously laughing so hard you couldn't understand a word.

_Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am  
Bigger and stronger too, maybe  
But none of them will ever love you  
The way I do, it's me and you_

_Boy and as the years go by_  
Our friendship will never die  
You're gonna see, it's our destiny

In the end, they finished off with their actual voices to sing the last few “You’ve got a friend in me”’s, smiling at each other. “I’m glad we made up again...” Keith admitted afterwards, as Shiro was looking for the next song they could sing. “Me too.” he then said and both of them hugged once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Chapter Number 3! I hope you liked it! As always if you have any tips for me, or found any mitakes I made, please tell me!  
> Next Chapter we will see a bit more of Lance and how he is doing. Until then I wish you a great day, week or month!
> 
> ~K.C.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's me again! I don't know how to feel about this chapter, but I hope that at least you will enjoy reading it. Like I promised we see a lot of Lance this time! I hope that with Christmas coming up I will get a lot of chances to write, though I don't want to promise anything yet ^_^ 
> 
> ~K.C.

**Tuesday, September 9**   
  
**Lance's POV**   
  
Lance's day could only be described by one single word – stressful. He knew that with the auditions being moved to this Thursday, he would have to put a lot of effort into getting his work done, so of course, he pulled an all-nighter to finish the paper, that he'll have to hand in at the and of the week. He could not waste his precious time of the day on that! However, it still had to be done. But Lance isn't a very focused and efficient student, so it took him longer than expected. And quickly the clock turned from 1 am to 7 am. Nothing Lance didn't manage before, but still not great either. The only problem this time was that on his bus-ride to college he just fell asleep and didn't wake up for another hour. He ended up at the completely different side of the city, then he needed to be and consequently had to take a different bus in the opposite direction, which he almost missed on top of that, too. When he finally arrived at his wanted destination, he missed his two first classes of the day, which itself was extremely annoying. If Lance skipped classes, he wanted to do it at least intentionally. Nevertheless, he still had a relaxing time in his break...wait did he just say relaxing? He meant stressful! Eating was impossible, due to his lack of time for anything, because now he did not only have to practice his monologue, but also catch up on what he missed in the morning. How could one person be so unlucky in one day? At least there was something he could look forward to today. After his last class he would meet up with Allura and she would help him with his choreography for auditions and what's more, he got the best room in the whole school reserved for it (it sure was a pain to get it).  
  
So that is how Lance found himself in front of his practice room together with Allura, and not being able to go inside, because it was currently being used… without permission. Sure the two of them were about 10 minutes later there than they should be according to the plan, but that was just downright unfair. Could this day get even worse?  
  
"Oh come on! Seriously?! This is unbelievable!" Lance scoffed "The audacity these people have! Such assholes! It is a commonly known fact, that this room is never not taken by anybody. You can't just randomly go in here, without checking the board.". Allura tried to calm him down, even though she knew that was probably impossible "Maybe they really didn't know anything about that "rule". Oh maybe it's one of the new students! We can't be mad at our newbies!" she noted sweetly. Lance still looked skeptical at the door and then remarked "Even a freshman would know that! They get taught that stuff in orientation week, don't they?". "Maybe they didn't, let's just go in and tell th-" Allura suddenly cut herself off mid-sentence and put her finger to Lance's mouth, as to tell him that he should be quiet. Lance obviously curious, moved her head away and opened his mouth to ask what was going on, which Allura interrupted quickly "Listen, I think that is Keith and Shiro.". So Lance put his ear against the door trying his hardest to make out the individual voices. And Allura was completely correct. That certainly was the two of them singing "Goodbye" (by Aaron Tveit), constantly switching between singing together and going on alone. One of them, probably Keith, was also playing the piano. It in fact sounded very nice, but Lance could really not bring himself to enjoy the good sounds right now, because he knew that both of them knew very well how the practice-room-system worked.  
So Lance furiously moved to rip open the door but was unexpectedly held back by Allura's arm. "What are you doing Allura? They know the rules! They are stealing my time to practice!" Lance explained in a very impatient manner. Allura on the other hand had an expression that basically screamed stunned. "Let them at least finish Lance! If not for them, do it for me… they just sound so good!" she pleaded. Lance grumbled at that but stopped his earlier motion. She quietly thanked him and they proceeded to listen to the music. Lance leaned up against the wall and sighed. "At least they made up, I wouldn't be able to stand another day with Keith joining us for lunch" he whispered. But deep down he knew that of course wasn't why he was glad about them being on good terms again, after their fight. Honestly, it was just good to see them both happy, they were quite the opposite whilst they were arguing. And Lance fully understood that. It never sits right with him either, when he fights with his brothers. But he never made it as obvious as Keith did, when he was feeling sad. Keith is super closed off, but sometimes, when he is very emotional, you can read him like an open book. Then again Lance definitely likes it more when he can see what Keith is thinking or feeling because for whatever reason it is very important to him to understand the raven-haired boy, even if it's just small parts of his characteristics. Keith is just interesting to him. And he is not going to lie, that this is the reason why he is occupying his thoughts so often lately. But that seriously needed to stop. He could not waste his time thinking about a guy he did not even like that much. That was just plain stupid, and Lance would not let himself continue like this. He needed something else to focus on. His eyes wandered around the hallway but nothing caught his eye. So he turned back to the door, Allura was still standing in front of enjoying the little music-only concert she got presented. That caused an idea to form in Lance's head, why shouldn't he make it a full-on concert with a special viewing of the artists? So he grabbed the handle of the door and turned it. Allura tried to stop him, with a shocked look on her face, but once she realized that he only wanted to open a small gap, so they could actually see what was happening, she looked even happier than before.  
Lance now kneeling on the floor, got a good view of the piano. He was right with his prediction, that Keith was the one playing it. Shiro was walking around the room as he sang a couple of lines by himself. But even though one's attention normally goes straight to the singer, Lance's eyes seemed to have different plans. They shifted right back to Keith. And Lance could confidently say, that he understood why they did. What a sight to behold. He could only see Keith's face, but that was enough for him already. His eyes were sparkling brightly from the light falling into through the window-front, his lips were slightly mouthing the lyrics and his long hair moved smoothly along with the motion of his head. But he looked especially beautiful because he was smiling. Something Keith did not do too often, then again should do more. Lance could not do anything else but stare. That was right when Lance realized the flaws of his plan. Watching the person he didn't want to think about wasn't his most intelligent move. But he could say for sure, that it would not be the last time he would act like this around Keith. Now he just needed to figure out why?  
Allura, always the observer, totally saw how Lance was utterly gone staring at the younger of the two men. And she also could make out the blush on Lance's face, so of course, she could not leave this uncommented. "Like what you see, loverboy?" she asked with a giggle. Lance just turned to her in shock and stuttered out a few words, but no real sentence wanted to leave his mouth, which made Allura laugh even harder. That didn't go unnoticed by Shiro and Keith though. Both stopped singing and playing immediately after hearing the unfamiliar sound. Lance, not wanting them to see that they were watching them did the next best thing he could think of and stormed into the room, putting on the maddest face he could form right now.  
"Mullet, don't you know how to read a fucking plan at the blackboard? It is my training time! You just took my special room from me, without even asking for permission. Who do you think you are? Really did nobody ever teach you how to...ehm… well did no one ever teach you manners or something?" Lance barked but was failing to uphold his angry tone throughout his scolding. Keith looked at him blankly and just shrugged "Well you didn't show up. And when I came here there was nobody in sight.". "That excuses nothing," Lance said snappy, but Keith still showed no emotion and made no move to apologize either. "Okay. I really don't care."Keith remarked as he stood up from his seat at the piano. "Wait Keith, before you leave! I wanted to say that it was a good choice to audition for Kayden! I saw it and was immediately over the moon. I worried you would sell your talents short again, but this role fits you so well. If you need any help for auditions, just ask me!" Allura chimed in. Keith turned to her, with a smile (which in Lance's opinion looked more sour than sweet) "Thank you, but I don't think-", before he could turn her offer down further, Lance interrupted him "Wait, wait, wait, wait Kayden? Didn't you say you were auditioning for the ensemble? Did you just plainly lied to us all?" What kind of move would that even have been? First, he tells everyone to drop the topic and snaps at them for telling him to maybe try a different, bigger role and now he just chose the main part. What the hell?  
  
"Lance, that would be my fault. Keith didn't lie to you. He did want to audition for the ensemble, but I put his name down elsewhere without his consent. It was a bad move of mine, but I cannot take it back and Lotor won't change the audition-plan anymore." Shiro explained calmly and Keith then added, that he now decided to just move along with what happened and that they were all probably right anyways. Something didn't sit right within Lance with that statement. It didn't seem like Keith actually meant it, but Lance

would just let it slide. "Why do you care though Lance?" Keith asked before he left the room. "Of course I do!" He replied, at which Keith just raised an eyebrow. "Well I mean I don't _care_ care. But I do care! You know?", "Sure," Keith said with a smirk and then added quietly "Have fun practicing." before he went out of the door completely. Shiro and Allura exchanged some kind of strange look before he followed his brother out of the door.  
  
Lance stood there for another 40 seconds or so just staring at the now-closed door before he grabbed his bag and placed it at the side. Allura was already plucking in her phone to play some music over the speakers. They first did a short warm-up, before they started with the hard stuff. Lance was so lucky that Allura still owed him a favor, so he could get her to choreograph something for him. Usually, at auditions, everybody has to dance the exact same thing, but this time, they wanted a special twist to it, which is why everyone who wants to play a role that has to dance a solo or a duet, has to perform a personal dance-performance. And even though thinking of new choreographies is one of Lance's favorite things in the world, he just didn't have any time left on his schedule. So he got Allura to help him, under the condition that she won't be biased during auditions and that it was kept a secret with what in particular she aided the brown-haired boy. She really thought of the whole situation as dreadful, but Lance had to go through something equally as dreadful when he earned this favor, so it was only fair.  
"Okay Lance, I prepared a variation of a dance I never actually got to perform. At least now it will be brought to good use. I think it will fit you and your role well. I will dance it once for you now, and then we will go through each individual step together, which we will just piece together in the end. Alright?" Allura said in a strict but still warm voice (her coach-Allura-voice) "Yes Ma'am!" Lance exclaimed enthusiastically. So they did exactly what Allura just explained and moved through each and every different pose and movement. Since both of them are quite gifted with good posture and dance-skills that process went along without many complications. Just like that after half an hour, they were through about two-thirds of the dance. Lance was currently occupied with holding a rather complicated pose, where he had to balance himself on one of his feet, whilst the other leg was raised up in the air, with his one arm holding it in place and the other one spread off the side. It wasn't a new move, but he just had to hold it for a very long time, because Allura couldn't seem to be satisfied with the result, constantly pointing out new things that were wrong with how Lance did it "Yes your elbow over here is exactly in a 90° angle, okay? Oh and you cannot forget about your other arm, even if it is not doing anything special." she mumbled as she made circles around him, inspecting every inch of his body, and continuing with finding new mistakes every round. Lance on the other hand was sweating worse with each passing second. This woman definitely was a perfectionist if you ever met one. "Before I forget it, Lance, I have a question about Keith and you," Allura asked as indifferent as one could say it. But that whole question got Lance to almost lose his balance. "What do you mean 'Keith and me'? There is no Keith and me!" he tried to explain calmly, and failing miserably. Allura just chuckled and continued "Well if you get to play George and he gets to play Kayden you know what that means, right? These two are a couple...". That hadn't even occurred to Lance. He knew he would have to play the whole relationship part with another boy, which was completely fine because he is bi, but Keith of all people? That was too much for Lance's poor brain and after a huge blush made itself visible on his cheeks, he stumbled and fell to the floor. That caused Allura to laugh hysterically at him. Lance only looked at her with an embarrassed and annoyed stare, so she helped him back up, trying to hide her giggles. "Oh Lance I'm sorry, I didn't want you to fall!" she said ironically with a huge grin on her face. "Haha, very funny 'Lura." Lance groaned. "No but seriously, don't worry about it so much. It might be weird to play a loving couple at first, but you'll for sure get the hang of it fastly. And you know what? It worked out great for Romi and me, too. We once played a couple and ever since then we are best friends!" She exclaimed encouragingly. "Oh yes "Besties"… I got you 'Lura." Lance said and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Once Allura realized what he implied, she pushed him right back on the floor with a satisfied smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Chapter 4! I hope you liked it. As always feel free to comment and tell me if I made any mistakes. Next chapter it's already time for auditions! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> ~K.C.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's me again! Me posting a chapter just one day after the last one? More likely than you think ^^I'm trying my best to write more during my Christmas break, but I must say that Chapter 6 is already giving me a headache...Well nevertheless I hope you'll enjoy reading!
> 
> ~K.C.

**Thursday, August 10  
  
****Hunk's POV**  
  
The day of the auditions arrived more quickly than expected and Hunk knew for a fact how stressed out and panicked his best friend always was before events like this. Especially when he wanted a role as badly as he did this time. So Hunk decided that even though he being a double-major and having a ton of assignments to do, that Lance's saneness mattered more. Therefore he prepared a special "pre-audition-fun-and-distraction-packet". And surprisingly it helped more than he first anticipated. The two friends spend last night at the McClain-house with a mixture of good food, games, and movies, always including his siblings (or at least the ones that are still living at home – Veronica and Rachel). Like Lance himself said before going to sleep last night, he barely wasted any thought to the auditions. So Hunk gladly declared his plan as a full success.  
Yet the next morning was not characterized by fun and good-vibes. Lance was a mess. Still, Hunk tried his very best to cheer him up. Cooking his favorite omelet for breakfast certainly improved the actor's mood a tiny bit. Hunk knew that Lance's snappy attitude was nothing personal, he could clearly see that Lance had the worst case of stage-fright. He was sweating, his hands fidgeted like crazy and his voice was shaky on top of that. If Hunk didn't know any better he would have thought Lance had an anxiety attack, which luckily was not the case. Lance repeatedly assured him of that. But it was still not great to see your friend in that state.  
"Lance I know you are very nervous. I totally get that! Remember the Garrison, when I almost puked before every show we had?" Hunk said chuckling along to the memory in his head. "Of course I remember… I was the one who held your hair back for you" Lance reminded him, making a disgusted face, but then also breaking into a smile. Oh yes, he is smiling! That is good… Now he just needed to continue with the story and hopefully, that'll keep Lance's mind away from any bad thoughts. "Yeah you did, buddy! And Pidge stood just next to us taking a Polaroid picture… I still have no idea where she got that, by the way..." Hunk continued. "Wait I didn't even remember that she caught that on camera… But she definitely snapped a pic of me when I fell down the stage that one time." the brown-haired boy added, having a shocked expression on his face. Yes, that were good times back then at the Camp. God is Hunk glad, that he found his friends there, or else he would have probably given up after one week. With the team on his side, even a mistake or failure was so much fun, that he decided that he wanted to a part of crews like that for the rest of his life. Even if it wasn't as an actor or different performer, but as a stage manager and a part of the tech-team.  
"Good morning you two! Hey Lance today is the big day, isn't it?" Lance's Mom greeted as she walked down the stairs "Oh Hunk you did not have to cook breakfast, you are our guest, sweetheart.". "Oh Miss McClain don't worry about it. You know I love to cook for more people than just myself" Hunk quickly assured her and gave her a plate full of his culinary creations. She thanked him again before she sat down at the table next to her youngest son, who gave her a short hug. She immediately could sense the worry present in Lance's aura. "Oh, honey please don't trouble yourself too much with this audition. You will do amazing! I am so sure you will! I know my little star and I also know how much you trained to get this role. Nobody will even get close!" She reassured him, as she rested her hand on his back and rubbed it in a circling motion. Hunk nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Mama… I just- I am still not sure if I did enough." Lance said letting his head sink into his hands. Now Rosa's look shifted to resemble the one of her son. Worry was present in her eyes, not wanting Lance to continue cutting himself short.  
"Mi Hijo you put all the effort a person could into your performance, and if the jury won't see that, they are blind!"  
Hunk now took a step closer to Lance's side and put his arms around his shoulders. "Lance you are one of the most talented people I know in this world. And you will show them exactly that, okay? If anyone can do it then it is you!". At that, Lance raised his head again and nodded, "You know what? You are right! I worked so hard and that will pay off!" Lance announced in a solemn tone. "Yes!" Rosa and Hunk said in unison. After that, all of them continued with their breakfast and chatted about some random things, like Hunks family or school. But as about half an hour passed Lance and Hunk had to leave. Lance's audition was coming closer and closer, and Hunk could feel the panic starting to grow slowly again. So he played out his final card for today.  
"Lance before we leave, I wanted to give you this." Hunk took a small bag out of his backpack and gave it to his best friend. Lance slowly started to open it and what he found inside made his heart swell. The small present Hunk had made him was a "good-luck-cupcake". It was decorated with all kinds of symbols, like a lucky clover, a ladybug, or crossed fingers. "Oh thank you Hunky! That is so cute! I can't believe you put all of this effort in all of this. Not only this beautiful cupcake but also yesterday night. God, who would I be without you? You are the best Hunk..."Lance exclaimed and gave Hunk a huge hug, which he gladly returned.  
"May we get in there, too" Veronica and Rachel, who suddenly stood right behind them, asked with big smiles on their faces. Both Hunk and Lance opened their arms for a group-hug. "Lance we wanted to wish you the best of luck for today! Even though you don't need that anyways… you can do it without luck!" Rachel told her brother to which Veronica added: "You are going to blow them all away!". "Thank you guys so much for always supporting me… You can't imagine how much it means to me, that you are always there for me," Lance said at last before he and Hunk left through the front door.  
They made their way over to Hunk's car, but this time his thoughts were racing madly. Because Hunk hasn't been exactly honest to his friends these last couple of weeks and it was eating him alive. But always the planner, Hunk figured out exactly how he was going, to tell the truth to everyone. And the first one he wanted to talk to, was his impersonated emotional support -Lance. The car was obviously the best place for a confession since nobody could get up and just storm away. Not that he thought that Lance would actually do that to him, nevertheless it was just relieving to have this safety. He knew that right now would be his best chance at getting it off his chest. So once they started to drive, Hunk took a deep breath and spoke up.  
"Lance I got a confession to make. I have been lying to you for quite a while now honestly. And I am very sorry..." Hunk said grabbing onto the staring wheel tightly. "Wait what? What did you lie to me about Hunky?" Lance asked confused but in a very calm manner. "I told you I handed in my applications for the tech-team…. Well, I did not do that." Hunk rambled out trying his hardest to not look at the boy next to him. "Did you forget? Did you not want to? Dude if you didn't want to be part of the production, you could've just said so… nobody would be judging you for that, trust me!" Lance said putting a hand on his shoulder. "No Lance that is not what it is… I did apply for a different job." He finally managed to say. Lance just raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything so he could continue. "I applied to be Assistant Stage-Manager. I wanted to since the very beginning, but Pidge was so excited about us working together, that I could not tell her the truth. And then it just grew to be a bigger and bigger lie, with each passing day. I know it was a horrible thing to do, but I just didn't want to disappoint you guys.". "Hunk please don't be so hard on yourself, because of that! You are a double major in stage-management for a reason! If you ask me, I'd say that it was a very good choice for you, since you are crazy organized and always have the best ideas! Yes, you would have also rocked as a part of the tech-team, but honestly? You are made for the job of a stage-manager." Lance assured him and gave him a huge smile. "Thank you, buddy... I really needed to hear that." Hunk said, with obvious relief in his voice. "Oh and Hunk, trust me Pidge won't be mad at you for this either. We all love you, no matter what!"  
**  
Pidges POV**  
  
Pidge was currently lying on Keith's bed in his dorm, staring at the wall. Originally her reasoning behind this was, that she wanted to make sure that Keith wouldn't freak out, because of the auditions. But turns out he somehow decided to be totally relaxed about them this time. Which was so uncharacteristic for him, that it almost scared Pidge. Usually, Keith is extremely nervous before he goes to auditions and on multiple occasions just got cold feet and didn't participate at all. Never in her life has Pidge seen him so content with a situation like this. It seemed off. Don't get her wrong, she was very happy that Keith was so calm, but it was so strange. Speaking of Keith… where did he go? He said he was going to the to get something like 10 minutes ago. Pidge pushed herself in an upright position on the bed and scanned the room for her friend. Well if he's not here, he must be in the living room or something. So she stood up and left the room. There he was, lying on the couch, scrolling through his phone. 'Pfff, did he forget I was here?' Pidge thought as she silently grabbed a pillow from the floor and threw it straight at Keith. He, on the other hand, completely not expecting an attack, was so shocked he let out a small cry. "What the hell? Katie! For goodness sake..." He squealed, as she chuckled, visibly satisfied.

Keith glared at her and threw the pillow right back on her face. However, Pidge was well prepared for a comeback and caught it in the air. So Keith took another pillow and chucked it in her direction again, which she could not catch in time. Consequently, it hit her in the face. "Hey! Kogane, what do you think you're doing? Just hitting a girl with a deadly weapon… did nobody teach you better than that, little boy?" she scolded him sarcastically. "You? A girl? Sorry my bad, I must have mistaken you for a gremlin there…. It won't happen again." He replied jokingly. They both looked at each other for a whole of 3 seconds before having a laughing fit.  
God did Pidge loves joking around with Keith. You can seriously have so much fun with him! Some people might say that he is grumpy, which admittedly he is, but they often oversee the great sides of him. Like his great sense of humor and the fact that he is literally always there for you when you need him. That is probably the reason why Keith is Pidges best friend (and of course their conspiracies). But Pidge is also Keith's best friend, and that is why she had to break the good mood and ask: "Keith, why are you so calm about this audition? Normally you would be freaking out by now. I don't want say that it's a bad thing you are relaxed, but it's just so unusual for you...". Keith just smiled at her and replied: "Oh I just feel very prepared this time, that's all. Why waste my time on worrying, when I know I did my best at training? Also I don't freak out…". Pidge just raised her eyebrows disapprovingly. It doesn't quite add up in Pidge's opinion. He is not nervous, because he trained? He always trains before performances, so this is no argument at all. And now that she actually thinks about it, Keith didn't even prepare that much. These last three days they both were together on discord every night, playing video games until they were tired and wanted to sleep. And when Pidge asked about what he did all day, he never said that he prepared something for the auditions, just that he did random school work. Either Keith was lying about that or he is planning something right now… And Pidge will figure out what!  
And the first step was to text Shiro about if he knew something.  
  
**Space Dad**

 _ **(online)**_  
  
Pidgey: Shiro.  
  
Space Dad: What is it Pidge? Is everything alright?  
  
Pidgey: yes I am okay… but I am worried about Keith.  
  
Space Dad: Oh no… What did he do? Is he panicking about the auditions?  
  
Pidgey: he didn't do anything and no he isn't.  
  
Space Dad: So what is the matter?  
  
Pidgey: that is my problem! He is so calm… too calm  
  
Space Dad: Wait are you telling me he isn't nervous at all?  
  
Pidgey: Yes! Apparently he "trained enough", and so he feels prepared. Funny thing is though, that I never saw him train at all this week… I think he is planning something.  
  
Space Dad: Highly uncharacteristic for Keith, I agree. Any idea what he is planning?  
  
Pidgey: Not a clue, but that's why I came to you. Do you know what exactly he is performing today?  
  
Space Dad: Not really…  
  
Pidgey: fuck  
  
Space Dad: Language.  
  
Pidgey: …  
  
Space Dad: Oh but I do remember him reading Paul's monologue from A chorus line. But I doubt he picked that, because of how overdone it is.  
  
Pidgey: Mmmmhhh… g2g I text you if I find out more  
  
Space Dad: Okay! Good luck!  
  
An extremely overdone monologue doesn't scream Keith, but so doesn't his behavior either. If anything it fits together like two puzzle pieces. Think Katie, think! Maybe Keith chose this text, to show the jury that he can even score with something that basic. But if he really wanted to pull off something like this why would he be so chill? In former auditions he sometimes did freaky stuff, too, that would normally be "no-goes", but he was particularly riled up before those. He also only did things like this when he wanted a role so badly, he would have killed for it. And this time he wasn't very enthusiastic about "Kayden", since it was not his first choice anyways. He wanted to be in the ensemble.  
Wait, she got it! He's messing up on purpose and wants to-  
"Hey Pidge it was nice of you to come over, but I still have a class before my auditions, which I really don't want to miss. So I really have to leave." Keith suddenly said ripping her out of her own little world. He was already standing next to the door with his bag in his hand, smiling at her sincerely. She smiled back, collecting her thoughts. Damn it! Now she could not confirm her predictions, and most definitely not change Keith's opinion if she was actually correct. It was stupid of him to throw away a chance like that so carelessly. But if he wanted to that so badly, she wouldn't snitch on him. But she will have a talk about that with him later… probably after the auditions. This boy will make her go insane, she was calling it. Nevertheless, she still wished him the best of luck and walked out of the dorm. The first auditions for "George" will start soon, hopefully, Lance doesn't have an equally bad plan as Keith.  
  
**Allura's POV**  
  
Allura sighed as she looked at the time on her phone. It was already half past 5 in the afternoon, and there was still a whole round of performers waiting for the jury to be judged. They just finished the auditions for the ensemble, which were probably the most exhausting for her personally, as she had to dance herself to show the group the choreography. Then again it was also the most fun she had all day. Going through the individual steps with all these talented people was an amazing experience on its own and helping everyone when they had questions was also very enjoyable. It made her realize, that teaching would be a great plan-B if the whole dancer and choreographer thing didn't work out. She sure would be very fulfilled by this profession, too. Maybe she should do it just like her father did. He was a director for the majority of his life, but after his father died he decided that he would continue leading the Five-Lions-College his great grandfather founded, as the principal and still teach his knowledge to the new generations. He often told Allura that if she wanted to, she would always be able to inherit the position he was currently holding. And right now she was very sure that it might be the very best idea to follow in her father's footsteps since it really seems like her guidance is helping her students. Lance for example nailed his auditions this morning! He surely was very nervous, but during his performance, you couldn't notice that at all. He chose fitting material, which he presented in a convincing and catching way. And his dance was breathtaking on top of that, and not only thanks to Allura. Lance must've felt bad for depending on her so much concerning his choreography so he even gave it his very own twist. In the end, Lotor, his assistant directors Narti, Ezor, and Zethrid, and Allura herself agreed to put him in their top 5 list. And if you ask Allura, between his components and him, he was clearly the best. But the final choice is more or less up to Lotor. Well, fingers crossed. Talking about fingers crossed, Keith is actually in the next and last group of actors. They are already sitting in the waiting room and going over their lines. It must be time to start soon.  
Just as Allura finished that thought, Lotor walked into the room and announced that they will begin now. So they all sat down at their table and prepared their notes. Allura took out her phone to check the time, but before she could finish that motion Lotor was already growling at her "Allura we are starting! Put your phone away!". She just rolled her eyes and explained "I just wanted to check the time, Lotor". At which he shouted: "Wear a watch!"(Authors note: Here is an imaginary cookie for everyone who got that reference). Shortly after this short interaction the first guy entered the room and went up on the stage.  
And then after the 13th guy, Allura lost count. But when Keith's name was called out she knew they were almost done, since he was the last one on the list. Keith slowly walked in and introduced himself. With each passing second, Allura got more and more worried. Why was she always so nervous when her friends were nervous? Well, she made it through Lance's audition, so she will get through this one, too.  
"Hello, Kogane. I would like you to start with the monologue. After this, you will sing the song you picked out and in the end, you will present to us your choreography. Alright?" Lotor explained in a cold tone. Keith nodded and went to the center of the stage to start with his presentation.  
  
"One day I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "You're fourteen years old and you're gay. What are you going to do with your life?" By that time I was in Cardinal Hayes High School. There were three thousand boys there. I had no protection any more..."  
  
'Paul's monologue from A chorus line? Keith normally knows better than to pick something that overdone. Not to say it's not a nice text, but it is used so often. They actually heard it about 5 times today already. Of course it kind of fits, since Kayden is gay, too, but there would have definitely been better choices than this one. Why Keith decided to play it, even though there are so many other great options is a mystery. With his expertise this is a tiny bit disappointing' Allura thought as he began saying the very first lines. But after a short while, she was completely mesmerized. The very end in particular was so emotional. As he talked about "his" father calling him his son for the very first time, tears were streaming down Keith's face. They seemed so real because Keith made it seem like he actually didn't want to cry and was trying to hold back his emotions. He wasn't playing Paul, he was feeling him and it showed.  
"He really captured the essence of that character..." Lotor whispered as he took down some notes. "Impressive how he

can bring such emotion in that text again after we've seen it so often today" Ezor agreed. So that was Keith's plan? Oh, this boy sure knows how to trick his audience. Allura was impressed. But let's see what he'll do for the next task.  
  
Before he started he whipped away his tears and announced what song he will be singing: "I will be singing "Moving too fast" from the musical "The last five years"".  
  
"Did I just hear an alarm start ringing?  
Did I see sirens go flying past?  
Though I don't know what tomorrow's bringing,  
I've got a singular impression things are moving too fast..."  
  
  
Well, the song certainly is not the hardest one but it still is complicated. Especially the rhythm and the high vocal range make it challenging, as far as Allura's knowledge goes. She took a quick glance at Lotor and saw him nod along to the music, which probably is a good thing. Allura herself isn't really the expert of singing, but their vocal coach Ellen also seems to be quite content with his performance. She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, at which Lotor shot her a glare, that she happily ignored. Keith, who noticed the signs Ellen gave him, seemed more taken back than excited about them. The following parts of his song were unfocused, some tunes were not exact. Even though it weren't huge mistakes, it was still strange. Like he wanted to be worse after he saw that their vocal coach liked it. It almost seemed like Keith stopped giving everything he could. But who is Allura to judge?  
  
She is a dancer! That's why she looked forward to the last part of these auditions the most. The choreographies and dances are her elements, so she will always be extra strict when evaluating them. She knows for a fact that Keith isn't the best dancer. His ideas and sequences are always adequate, but he is always so stiff. That's his primary problem- he can't relax and let go. Well, at least normally he can't… Allura sure doesn't know what he did in his training, but it made him a new dancer! The different variations of movements fit perfectly to the music and he goes through them so fluently and freely. It seems like he is just feeling and thinking about each move before he does it. It all has it's purpose. Normally he is a nervous mess but this gives the impression of a spontaneous performance. And not in a bad way! It is a big improvement and definitely not disappointing. He must have trained a lot to get to this point and it paid off. It was a very solid choreography.  
  
Once he ended his dance Lotor thanked him for participating. Ellen chipped in and told him that he did a very good job, at which Keith smiled and left. He still looked disappointed while walking out. But Allura couldn't waste a lot of thought on it, because even though it was the last performance of the day Lotor decided they didn't work enough just yet. "Ellen, Allura? We made the decision that we will hold a discussion about our choices in about 10 minutes if you still have the time for it. We want to release the official cast tomorrow, at best." he asked, but it sounded more like they wouldn't have any other option anyways. "Sounds great! Like that, all of our impressions and ideas are still fresh!" Ellen exclaimed and looked at Allura as to wait for her answer. "Well I do have time, but don't you think tomorrow is a bit early. Don't you want to maybe sleep over it?" Allura said tiredly. "Well I want to put out the list as soon as possible, so we can start with rehearsals. I want this play to be perfect and we need all the time we can get! Like this, we could meet up the first time on Monday with everyone." Lotor clarified. "Allura just shrugged with her shoulders but went along with it. He wasn't wrong and the participants of the auditions probably want the notice to be released quickly, too. And all of the off-stage-workers already chose their assistants as well, so this procedure makes actually a lot of sense.  
  
**Friday, September 11**  
**  
Nobody's POV**  
  
It was right after all classes ended before lunch-break, when Lotor made the announcement through the school's speakers, that the official cast-list and the list with all accepted non-performing-workers were released. It caught everyone off guard that all of the decisions were made so quickly, some cried, or screamed others jumped up and down because of excitement. But no matter the initial reaction, they all went to the blackboard immediately. Once, Lance, Keith, Hunk and Pidge arrived a huge crowd already formed itself in front of the notice, so they had to fight their way through it. Once they made it to the front they searched the lists for their names and found what they were looking for.  
  
Lance was happy.  
Pidge even happier.  
Keith was confused.  
And Hunk was totally overwhelmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like this Chapter 5 is done! I hope you enjoyed it ^^ Next time we will see our favorite performers at their very first read-through! So you'll also get to know the plot of the play I made up a bit more (the music of it is btw already existing, I am not creative enough to write songs =) ).  
> As always feel free to leave a comment! 
> 
> ~K.C.


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